Most website visits are informational – people are looking to learn about your BRAND and Services. Here are main reasons your website should reflect your brand.
Whether you are aware of it or not, your online presence is likely having a significant impact on your sales, for better or for worse. More than 4 out of 5 consumers conduct online research when making major purchases, and market research shows that how user friendly your website is, and how well it reflects your brand identity, can turn a curious click into a sale – or drive a potential customer away. This is especially important because most website visits are informational – people are looking to learn about your product, rather than visiting with a clear intent to purchase. Here are some things to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of your online branding.
- Does your website accurately reflect your brand? As we noted above, the vast majority of website visits are from people who are looking to learn about your product, not make a sale in that moment. You want to make sure that their first impression is positive, accessible and informative, and they will be more likely to come back to make a purchase.
2. Does your website centre the customer’s needs? Remember, customers are largely accessing your site for information, so you want to make sure that you are centring the content that customers want. Your company “story” may be part of your brand identity, but it’s not going to be the first thing that customers look for when they visit. It is worth investing in some market research to identify your prospective clients’ priorities.
3. Do you actively manage the customer experience? Increasingly, customers are looking to website design that answer a huge range of questions about products and services, rather than talking to a sales person or customer service. Depending on the product or service you sell, customers may be searching for detailed specifications about your product, access to service manuals and troubleshooting guides, or even forums where they can share tips amongst one another. If you can effectively provide this information, and then have a convenient and reliable way to access an actual human being when needed, customers will be more inclined to invest in your product.
4. Does your website load quickly? This may seem like a silly detail to focus on, but it is important to balance the quantity of content you are hosting with how quickly and cleanly your website will load. Research has shown that nearly 50% of consumers will abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load, and if your website takes ten seconds or more, you will likely lose 90% of your web traffic. If you have a content-heavy website, it is important to keep that content behind links to streamline the user experience, and to invest in appropriate hosting services.
5. Is your website mobile friendly? Customers now do a huge amount of their research and online purchasing from their mobile phones, and businesses who don’t ensure their website is mobile-optimized risk being pegged as “out of touch” and not caring about the user experience. A strong, effective mobile site will significantly impact your conversion rate, and your bottom line.
A well-designed website may be one your most important storefront. In order to grow your business and maximize your potential, make sure you are considering the points above in your marketing strategies.
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